The Associated PressTiger Woods doesn't owe any apology to anyone other than his wife.All Tiger Woods has to do to quiet the storm around him is have a news conference, affirm that the worst of the rumors attached to him are true, and then media outlets that are turning over rocks looking for dirt in his personal life will put away their shovels?

Of course not. And no one, let alone Tiger Woods, is stupid enough to believe that.

So it's a little hard to argue against his logic of issuing statements and riding out the storm, even as new allegations of infidelity surface. If Woods is fiercely determined to keep private his personal life, then he has every right to do so. And if folks are angry because he won't stand in front of a sea of cameras and microphones and divulge the most secret parts of his life, even after he apparently hasn't committed a crime that merits sanction beyond having four points against his driver's license and a $164 fine, then that's their prerogative.

But it doesn't mean he owes anything beyond what he already has given.

The fact is, no amount of talking by Tiger is going to smother rumors. Whatever it is that he confirms or denies, it's not going to shush talk or dissuade fact finders. Until he breaks a law, he comfortably and justifiably can keep his mouth shut in public.

That doesn't mean he might not have some explaining, and apologizing, and groveling, to do at home. When he goes on his website and mentions "transgressions" and writes about being the father and husband that his family deserves, he obviously and clearly is dealing with issues that affect his wife and children.

But that's where it begins, and ends.

He doesn't owe fans an apology if he was unfaithful to his wife, Elin Nordegren. If she is the person who has been wronged, hurt and shamed, why would a public divulging of facts and apology mean more than a private one? Why would anyone believe Tiger owes the public anything more than giving his all on the golf course when he hasn't been arrested, charged with a crime, convicted of a crime or sentenced to jail time?

Apparently, Woods has said about as much as he plans to say on the subject. Obviously, he knows that offering more won't end probes of his private life, and it won't end or ease the problems he's having at home.

The clamoring for details is just that: Noise.

Senseless noise, actually, because it doesn't make much sense for him to address it beyond what he has. Because sometimes a private matter actually is a private matter, best taken care of inside the home.